49ers: Ranking the 5 best performances from playoff win vs. Vikings
By Chris Wilson
With the San Francisco 49ers pulling off a dominant 27-10 divisional-round playoff win over the Minnesota Vikings, Niner Noise looks at the five best individual performances.
The San Francisco 49ers are going to the 2020 NFC Championship game after pulling off a dominant 27-10 win over the Minnesota Vikings in the divisional round on Saturday at Levi’s Stadium.
Speaking of dominant performances, the Niners defense absolutely dominated the Vikings offense. Aside from one 41-yard touchdown play to wide receiver Stefon Diggs, quarterback Kirk Cousins couldn’t get much of anything going through the air.
Running back Dalvin Cook was held to just 26 all-purpose yards, and the Vikings were limitedto a 2-of-12 mark on third downs.
Minnesota also had just seven first downs, which proved just how much the 49ers shut down whatever Cousins and Co. were trying to do.
Overall, San Francisco’s defense bottled up Cook, which eventually led to the Vikings managing a mere 147 total yards of offense.
There were plenty of defensive standouts, but there were also a fair deal of offensive contributions that stood out. While quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo didn’t take over the game through the air, he didn’t have to.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan got back to his offensive roots, establishing the run early and sticking to it for the vast majority of the game.
The combination of dominating on the ground, paired with a tremendous defense, ultimately led to the 49ers being able to advance in the playoffs by beating the Vikings. In many ways, San Francisco’s effort looked a lot like the dominant wins Shanahan and Co. enjoyed early in the season.
Perhaps that’s a harbinger of things to come in the next round. But for now, Niner Noise ranks the top five individual performances from Saturday’s contest.